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<title>My Dear Son, by goatsongs</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24443386">My Dear Son,</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/goatsongs/pseuds/goatsongs'>goatsongs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rusty Quill Letters [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Epistolary, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hirald writes to Zolf, Mentions of death and accident, Parenthood, Pre-Canon, because I love pain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:35:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24443386</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/goatsongs/pseuds/goatsongs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hirald writes a letter to a young Zolf. </p><p>This is written some time after Feryn's death, presumably when Zolf has joined the Navy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hirald Smith &amp; Zolf Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rusty Quill Letters [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762531</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>My Dear Son,</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>My Dear Son, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I am writing to you in the hope you may respond, and return home. Your mother is not doing so well, and it is with a broken heart that I say she may not have long left. She knows this very well too, and insisted I write to you once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It has been months and we’ve barely heard from you, and know well that I am doing my best to hold in all of the anger and frustration I feel for you leaving so suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, and without bidding us farewell or telling us your plans. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zolf, I want you to return. You may understand this when you have kids of your own, but take my word on this. The amount of pain your silence brings me is far, far deeper than any pain I have ever felt. Feryn dying was an accident, I have told you this time and time again. I do not blame you. My dear Zolf, my son, I blame the sky and I blame the earth and I blame the damned tin and most of all I blame myself for putting you both at risk down there. But I don’t blame you. You are so young, and nothing about what happened is on you. I shall repeat this to my grave and beyond. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But by leaving you have hurt me, son, and I would wish for nothing more than to see you return. Or at least visit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your mother misses you. The garden is overgrown with dandelions. The rooms are too quiet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Your caring father, Hirald Smith </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you Oscar (<a href="https://twitter.com/oscarlovesthesea">@oscarlovesthesea</a>) for always being there for me (and sending me her zolf/wilde headcanons), and the lolomg server for indulging me. </p><p>This is a prompt based collection, so feel free to leave me a prompt <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmymagma/status/1265640704589664258">here</a>.</p></blockquote><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
  <ul>
    <li>
        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476662">Zolf Smith, trusted brother and son.</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_whirl44/pseuds/j_whirl44">j_whirl44</a>
    </li>
  </ul>
</div></div></div>
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